Goodman Furnace Review

A complete Goodman furnace review and buying guide for 2024, updated with the most current brand information, including best models, energy efficiency (AFUE) ratings, exclusive features, warranty info, and more. Get a free quote quickly & easily!

This Goodman furnace brand review will help you decide whether a high-efficiency Goodman furnace is right for your home and walk you through a model comparison that will help you choose the right one.

By providing a comprehensive overview of the brand, warranty, price points, and the special features that are unique to Goodman, we’ll help you make an informed decision today! We’ll even tell you what HVAC professionals and other homeowners have to say about these furnaces.

Plus, this Goodman furnace review and brand guide will go over important information about AFUE ratings and price points so you can select a model that’s good for your home, good for your wallet, and good for the planet.

Goodman has a good reputation in the HVAC industry because they make affordable furnaces that are reliable and warrantied for a long time. If you're in the market for a new furnace and are considering Goodman, this review will provide all the information you need to decide if this is the brand for you.

Also Read: The Best Furnaces for Canadians

The Bottom Line

Goodman gas furnace prices are some of the lowest on the market, and their furnaces are still reliable and offer good performance.

The brand doesn’t offer a lot of cool features or innovative technologies, but they do promise high-quality and high-efficiency furnaces that are budget-friendly and built to last.

Goodman also offers outstanding warranty coverage that should not only provide peace-of-mind, but also illustrate that they have full confidence in their products.

When compared to their competitors, Goodman’s value and efficiency is tough to beat.

Goodman Customer Reviews

Most of the Goodman customers we’ve talked to have had great experiences with their heating systems. Goodman furnaces are economical, efficient, quiet, and reliable, and they can help to reduce heating bills compared to an older and less efficient furnace. One problem with Goodman is that when customers opt for a cheaper and less knowledgeable/experienced HVAC company, improper installation can lead to problems and bad reviews.

 
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Goodman Furnace Model Series Overview

The grades are based on our proprietary algorithm which compares a variety of criteria to make it easy to compare models across brands. Note that models with lower grades aren’t necessarily a bad choice, as lower cost models tend to have more basic features, warranty coverage, or efficiency ratings, which lowers the grade relative to more expensive models.

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Goodman Furnace Models and Prices

Get a quick estimate on the cost of an Goodman furnace with our calculator.

Goodman’s Entry-Level Furnaces

Average price for an entry-level furnace: $3,750 to $4,750

Models

GM9S96-U: Single-stage, multi-speed furnace with an AFUE of 96%. This is one of Goodman’s ultra-low NOx models. Furnaces like this have an additional component that premixes fuel and air to the ideal ratio before combustion to reduce emissions and improve efficiency.

GC9S96: Single-stage, multi-speed furnace with an AFUE of 96%. This furnace has a fully insulated cabinet that boasts less than 2% air leakage. That means air, heat, and noise don’t escape, making the furnace quieter and more efficient.

GM9S96: Single-stage, multi-speed furnace with an AFUE of 96%. This furnace is equipped with a primary heat exchanger that uses aluminized steel and wrinkle-bend technology for a more durable product and longer-lasting performance.

GMVS96-U: Single-stage, variable-speed furnace with an AFUE of 96%. This is an ultra-low NOx model that can drastically reduce your home’s environmental footprint. Low-NOx furnaces are required in some places (like California), but they’re great for anyone who cares about the planet.

Ideal For

People who live in smaller homes or milder climates that don’t get extended periods of extreme cold in winter. While these models are efficient, the single-stage operation won’t be able to contend with sub-zero temperatures if they need to heat large spaces. The low-NOx models also make these furnaces perfect for regions with air quality regulations. Perfect if you're on a budget but still want efficiency, quality, and warranty coverage.

Goodman’s Mid-Range Furnaces

Average price for a mid-range furnace: $4,250 to $5,250

Models

GC9C96: Two-stage, multi-speed furnace with an AFUE of 96%. Goodman furnaces like this rely on a silicon nitride igniter to start the heating cycle. These ignition systems are efficient and reliable because they don’t have a pilot light that’s always burning, wasting fuel, and at risk of going out.

GM9C96: Two-stage, multi-speed furnace with an AFUE of 96%. This furnace, like the others, has a self-diagnostic control board that monitors the system to ensure reliable operation. If a problem occurs, it stores diagnostic codes and uses LED lights to communicate error codes to make repairs faster and more accurate.

GCVC96: Two-stage, variable-speed furnace with an AFUE of 96%. This furnace, like all Goodmans, has a secondary heat exchanger that collects exhaust gasses and condenses them to extract more energy from the same amount of fuel.

GMVC96: Two-stage, variable-speed furnace with an AFUE of 96%. This furnace is similar to their top-tier units but more affordable. It’s compatible with the brand’s app and has communicating function, but it’s a less powerful two-stage unit.

Ideal For

Thanks to the two-stage operation and high-efficiency AFUEs, these furnaces will work well in medium or large homes in cooler climates. Some of the models have similar technologies and features as the top-tier models, but they're even more economical for homeowners on a budget.

Goodman’s Top-Tier Furnaces

Average price for a top-tier furnace: $4,750 to $5,750

Models:

GCVM97: Modulating, variable-speed furnace with an AFUE of 97%. This furnace works with the CoolCloud HVAC app, which enables contractors to connect wirelessly to the unit to access diagnostics and notes from other contractors when doing maintenance or repairs.

GMVM97: Modulating, variable-speed furnace with an AFUE of 98%. This is Goodman’s top-of-the-line furnace and comes with all their bells and whistles. That includes ComfortBridge, a technology that enables the furnace and thermostat to communicate for improved efficiency and temperature control.

Ideal For

Goodman’s top models are ideal for big homes in cold climates, or any home in a place that gets extended periods of severe cold. They're designed to heat large spaces efficiently and keep the temperature consistent while also conserving energy. Ideal if you're looking for a top-tier furnace that’s affordable, highly efficient, has excellent warranty coverage, and has some additional perks and features.

Recently Discontinued Goodman Furnaces

• GMEC96
• GCEC96
• GMES96
• GCES96
• GMES96-U
• GMES92
• GMSS96 (Limited Inventory)
• GCSS96 (Limited Inventory)
• GCSS92 (Limited Inventory)
• GMSS92 (Limited Inventory)

Exclusive Features from Goodman

Feature 1 – ComfortBridge™ Technology

How Goodman describes it: A revolutionary technology that’s factory-installed to ensure peak operation and energy efficient performance. ComfortBridge uses a smart home algorithm that collects performance data to optimize the operation of your HVAC system.

What it is in plain language: ComfortBridge technology is a communicating tech. If you’ve ever connected two devices using Bluetooth, then you already have a basic understanding of how it works.

With ComfortBridge, the devices that get connected are your thermostat and the important components in the furnace. The components transmit performance data to the thermostat, and the thermostat then initiates automatic adjustments to the heating output and fan speed to increase energy-efficiency and ensure that the furnace’s performance matches your comfort demands.

Is it more than just hype? Goodman is one of the few brands that has started offering communicating technology like this, and it’s even more impressive because they're an economy brand.

Furthermore, ComfortBridge technology does have the potential to enhance the performance of your furnace because it ensures the thermostat is always keeping an eye on whether the furnace is delivering the right heat output based on the settings you’ve programmed.

It should be noted, however, that Goodman isn't the only brand offering this, though they are at the cutting edge. Sister brand Amana also offers ComfortBridge technology, and a couple other brands have their own versions as well. That includes American Standard, who has the AccuLink™ Communicating System, and Trane, who makes the ComfortLink™ II communicating thermostat.

Feature 2 – CoolCloud™ HVAC App

How Goodman describes it: An app that allows contractors to eliminate the need to manually diagnose a furnace. Gone are the days when HVAC pros have to crawl around a unit and open it up to see what's wrong.

What it is in plain language: The CoolCloud HVAC App is an app that licensed contractors can download on a smartphone or tablet. It enables them to connect wirelessly to the control board to diagnose issues when the unit needs repairs. The app also gives them access to notes from other contractors and repair histories for the furnaces.

Is it more than just hype? The app can reduce the amount of time it takes to troubleshoot and diagnose problems, and this would translate to cheaper labour costs.

Even with Goodman’s excellent warranty, labour isn't covered, so the app could save you money. Plus, accurate repairs are important for the longevity of the unit, so the CoolCloud App could potentially help give your furnace a longer life.

The app is cool and probably useful for contractors, but Goodman isn't the exclusive provider. Amana also uses the CoolCloud app, and their sister brand Daikin has the Comfort Control App, which gives homeowners the ability to monitor their system.

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Warranty Analysis

Goodman’s warranty terms

Goodman has a very competitive warranty despite being one of the more affordable brands around. They offer the same warranty coverage for every furnace, from their most basic entry-level models to their top-tier premium furnaces. The warranty coverage includes:

• Lifetime heat exchanger warranty
• 10-year parts warranty
• 10-year unit replacement warranty

Curious about the unit replacement warranty? It means that Goodman will replace the entire furnace if the heat exchanger fails during the coverage period.

Registration is required

To be eligible for the full warranty terms mentioned above, Goodman requires you to register the furnace within 60 days of installation.

Registration is pretty simple. You can do it online through Goodman’s website, and you'll need information like your own contact details, the date of installation, the name and contact info of the HVAC professional who installed the furnace, and the furnace’s serial number.

Unregistered furnaces are still protected by a warranty, but you will lose some of the coverage. For example, you might lose the unit replacement warranty entirely, the heat exchanger warranty might drop to 20 years, and the parts warranty might become a five-year protection plan.

Conditions and restrictions

Registration is required to get the longest warranty terms, but there are other things you'll have to be mindful of if you want to avoid invalidating your warranty completely.

One of the most important is the installation. You must have the furnace installed by a licensed HVAC technician: a DIY installation will be grounds for Goodman to terminate the warranty.

Similarly, there will be annual maintenance tasks that you'll have to complete to keep the warranty in good standing. The specifics of that will be laid out in the warranty terms and the owner’s manual.

How the Goodman warranty measures up to the competition

Goodman’s warranty is excellent. Not only does it rival the best coverage in the industry, but it also exceeds the protection provided by some of the most expensive premium brands.

For one thing, Goodman is among a handful of brands—along with Daikin, Coleman, Armstrong, Ruud, Luxaire, and American Standard—that offers a lifetime heat exchanger warranty for all their high-efficiency furnaces.

Similarly, some brands don’t even offer unit replacement warranties, and many of the ones that do only have this type of coverage for their premium units.

At the same time, there are some companies, such as Trane, Napoleon, Daikin, American Standard, and Amana, who do offer unit replacement warranties for all their models, and many of them actually exceed 10 years.

Be a happy homeowner when you purchase a Goodman gas furnace. Fill out our online form and ask for a free quote.

Goodman Add-ons, Extras, and Thermostats

Air Cleaners

Air cleaner can be useful in a number of instances, including if you live in a new home with lots of leftover construction dust, live on a dirt road, have family members with allergies or asthma, or are just concerned with dust, pollution, and indoor air quality.

Goodman makes a number of air cleaners, including media air cleaners and HEPA air cleaners. Their media filters include MERV 11 filters that can be installed on the furnace or in the duct. The HEPA filters are even more heavy duty, and can eliminate 99.97 percent of particles as small as 0.3 microns. One of them is even outfitted with two germicidal lights for serious indoor air quality control.

Humidifiers and Dehumidifiers

There's a sweet spot for moisture levels for the air inside your house: too little moisture can cause dry skin, sore throats, static electricity, and cracking wood, but too much can cause moisture damage and mold.

Dry air can be caused by air conditioners, furnaces, air leaks that allow outdoor air inside, and a number of other issues. When that’s the problem, humidifiers can be an excellent way to add more moisture to the air, which will save your skin, make your home more comfortable, and prevent damage to furniture and wood.

There are a number of humidifiers in Goodman’s product lineup, including economy, automatic, and fan-powered evaporative humidifiers, as well as steam humidifiers.

On the other hand, if your house suffers from too much moisture, then one of Goodman’s whole-home dehumidifiers might be a viable solution.

Not only will a dehumidifier prevent moisture damage and mold, but it will also make it easier for your air conditioner to keep your home comfortable in summer. Goodman also makes the Clean Comfort Humidity controller, a humidistat that can be used to manually or automatically control moisture levels.

UV Purifiers

Goodman makes two types of purifiers: UV purifiers for coils and UV purifiers for the air.

The coil purifiers get installed on the evaporator coil of your heating and cooling system and use the power of ultraviolet light to kill microbes like bacteria and viruses. Goodman has a number of models, and these can prolong the life of your heating/cooling systems by keeping the coils clean.

For air quality, Goodman also has a few models of self-cleaning UV air purifiers that both kill micro-organisms and eliminate chemicals and odours.

Heat Recovery Ventilators

HRVs are devices that constantly replace stale indoor air with fresh outdoor air and keep fresh air circulating throughout the house. And to prevent additional strain on your heating system, they also pass heat from the outgoing air to the incoming air.

HRVs can be beneficial in any home that doesn’t have a lot of ventilation, and Goodman has a few models to choose from to suit different homes and ventilation requirements.

Energy Recovery Ventilators

ERVs work in a similar way to HRVs, but they pass both heat and moisture to the incoming air. If you're trying to choose between an ERV and HRV, then here's a basic rule: ERVs can be useful in climates that experience hot summers and cold, dry winters, whereas HRVs tend to work best in places with mild, humid winters.

About the Company

Formed in 1975 by Harold V. Goodman, the Goodman Manufacturing Company has been engineering and producing high-quality HVAC products for over 40 years.

With a wide selection of heating systems that garner ENERGY STAR certification, it’s quite clear why Goodman is considered a totally trustworthy brand.

Goodman is recognized in the heating and cooling industry as an innovator, and they have the warranty coverage to prove it.

Should you be looking for a new furnace for your Canadian home, Goodman is a brand dedicated to creating high-efficiency products to give you peace-of-mind.

Eager to learn more about Goodman’s high-efficiency natural gas furnace line up? Fill out our online form, and one of our representatives will be happy to provide you with a free, no obligation quote. Consider a Goodman Air Conditioner today.

Frequently Asked Questions